Last Updated on June 19, 2024 by Frank Davis
If you or a loved one is ever in need of hospice care, you should not skip out on it due to concerns about affording it. That is because Medicare hospice coverage is available to almost everyone. This coverage plan, which is under Part A of Medicare, includes all of the services you will need if you or a loved one has a terminal illness. In fact, you will get up to 100% coverage under the program.
When you receive hospice care at home, coverage will include everything that you usually receive, which includes:
- Items and services for pain relief and symptom management
- Medical services
- Nursing services
- Social services
- Prescription drugs
- Pain management
- Durable medical equipment
- Health aides
- Homemaker services
- Spiritual and grief counseling
- Additional services
This is a robust list of services that come standard with Medicare hospice care at home.
How to Pay for Hospice Care
Are you eligible for Medicare? If so, then paying for hospice care will be taken care of, courtesy of the US government. However, not everyone is eligible for Medicare. Who pays for it then? If you are a low-income earner and fulfill the requirements for being in hospice care, you will have the opportunity to receive it through Medicaid. Alternatively, private insurance or an HMO can also pay for hospice care. However, those options will result in you needing to pay a significant amount on your own.
For those who do not qualify for the federal programs offering hospice care, the financial specialists at hospices can provide some help. There are payment options that include self-pay and charitable organizations.
Dealing with a terminal illness is challenging enough without having to worry about who pays for hospice care at home. That is why it is a good idea to gain a clear understanding of what options are available to you.
Medicare hospice coverage is the option a majority of people end up selecting. That is because most people are eligible for it, and it provides all of the services a hospice care patient would need. It may be a relief for you to learn that Medicare pays for hospice care at home. After all, a staggering 80% of Americans would prefer to live out their last days at home, among their families and loved ones.
However, no matter where hospice care is provided, the services included in Medicare’s hospice coverage are the same, and completely covered by Medicare Part A.
Sometimes, there are symptoms that a patient in hospice care suffers from that cannot be managed by routine hospice care. Higher levels of hospice care will be needed to manage the pain and symptoms. These may include 24/7 care at home (continuous care), and inpatient care. For those, Part A of Medicare provides those services, and at no extra charge to a patient or their family.
Conclusion
Now that you know who pays for hospice care at home, you can rest easy knowing that you do not have to spend anything to receive quality end-of-life care that you or a loved one deserves. Everybody deserves to receive hospice care, and thankfully, everybody can.
